Thursday, August 26, 2010

Also, I realize this blog has lost some substance over the past few months. I apologize. But not really. Because summer 2010 sucked the life outta me. For reals.

P.S. I am blogging this from school where these two returned missionaries will NOT stop talking about how they picked up their wives in Russia, NOT because they were Russian, but simply because that is whom they happened to fall in love with. Get real. But maybe get real somewhere else. Nobody cares.

Anyways. My friend Fish blogged about something I've been giving a lot of thought to, and it seems everyone else has as well. You may have heard about the proposed and approved mosque and community center near the 9/11 site. Unless you're like me and call Us Weekly the news.

This plan was approved by a city panel, just two blocks from ground zero. As you can imagine, controversy has ensued ever since. Sarah Palin was so upset about the whole thing she even asked for peaceful Muslims to "refudiate" the plan, and called it a stab to the American heart, all via Twitter. Lots of problems with this statement, beginning with the fact that refudiate isn't actually a word to begin with. Anyways.

I understand both sides, but I really think the issue has gotten a little out of hand. So how should something like this even be settled? Precedent? A coin toss? My friend Fish had the idea to "put a New York Yankee on the very top of the freedom tower (that doesn't yet exist.) Now, it needs to be an American citizen. No Mexicans. Probably not even a Puerto Rican. And not just some naturalized player. A real live multi generational citizen. Now, let that Yankee drop hit a baseball as far as he can, from the tip top of the non existent freedom tower(s), and where that ball lands, is the closest that any Mosque may be built". In my opinion this is the best idea yet.

I also remember another religious controversy involving Catholic nuns praying for Auschwitz victims in a chapel near the historical site. Even though they were nuns, just about the least threatening entities on the planet, Pope John Paul II asked them to leave as it still indicated an expropriation of the memory of the Jews killed there. The place was just too sensitive for families still in the area, and they stopped praying there when they realized it was causing them pain. I'd like to think that if the RLDS church ever was involved in some sort of American tragedy they would not build a pray center right next to the site. It's just insensitive. I think that overall the Muslims don't mean any harm, and that it's time, for us as Americans, to MOVE ON.

3 comments:

First, those who oppose the mosque (in reality it's actually a sort of community center http://www.park51.org/facilities.htm ) say it's too sensitive a place for those with family members killed in attacks. Last time I checked (which was 5 min ago) Muslims were killed in attacks too (http://islam.about.com/blvictims.htm). Why shouldn't they be allowed to build a mosque to honor their dead?

This leads to the problem that the terrorists were Muslim. Saying that those who carried out the attacks are Muslim would be the equivalent of saying that "Mormon" polygamists are indeed members of the LDS church. Terrorists use religion as a cover for their attacks. Religion is not the motivating factor. Politics and power are always the motivating factor.

If Muslims aren't allowed to build a mosque/community center near hallowed ground then, with that same logic, Mormons wouldn't be able to build temples or churches next to schools due to child abuse and sexual assault at "mormon" polygamist compounds. Catholics wouldn't be able to build churches next to schools either. The point I'm getting at is that these are people who have distorted the doctrine of Islam.

Last, as Mormons, the 11th article of faith states "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." I think that should really drive the point home for Mormons who have a problem with building a mosque near ground zero.

I love foreign wives. I think it is high time Andre and I went and picked us up some argentines, because Lord knows, we sure can't make it happen in a way that doesn't involve passports and a credit card.

Also, heaven help us if Sara Palin ever refudiates her denial that she is going to run for President.